Sales Executives for Oil and Gas Jobs

Please guys note that candidates in Lagos and Kaduna are now welcomed to apply for this jobs. For them the deadline is extended to 9th November


Hello All,


A Lagos-based major player in the oil and gas industry is urgently in need of the services of experienced, determined and reliable Sales Executives to harness the vast opportunities in the industry in Kaduna and Lagos outlets.


They are interested in candidates between the ages of 30 and 45, who have at least a B.Sc degree in Chemistry, Bio-Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or any of the Management Sciences.


They are opting for a minimum of 10 years experience working in sales especially within the oil and gas sector.


Duties and responsibilities include


Securing 30-30,000 litre trucks for transportation of products from Kaduna


Ability to source for Low Pour Fuel Oil from Kaduna refinery


Overseeing commercial activities in Kaduna Station


Inter-phase with government regulatory bodies such as DPR, PPMC, NNPC


Be able to source for LPO's for LPFO to supply to Ashaka and Sokoto cement


Ability to conduct sales on Tarmac


Be able to penetrate refineries in nieghbouring countries and conduct transactions


Structure the Kaduna sales structure


Interested and qualifies candidates should please send in their application and CVs addressed to


The Kaduna Consultant

Larry Moore

risinggenuis@gmail.com


Note 'genuis' as spelt please!


Applications sent after November 9th 2015 will not be considered.


P.S

Please take this serious as it might just be the twist you need this year.


Also share this with your loved ones.


Interview will be held in Kaduna and Lagos.

Walking Through the Shadows: A Letter to a Sad Friend

I don’t know what you are going through and I can’t claim to understand my friend. I don’t know how much you have suffered; I don’t feel what you are feeling; and I can’t evaluate the intensity of all the punches you have received from life just because you woke up to a new day. However, one thing I am too sure of is that you are alive and for this reason, I know that whatever you are going through is time-bound and in its time, it will pass. My friend it will pass.

The biggest mistake you can make when responding to a painful situation is to think the situation is peculiar to you – to believe its some sad fate designed just for you. Giving in to that thought, is like giving up on the grace you enjoy as someone who the Kings of Grace died for. Worst things have happened to you, to me and to the engineer who coupled the device you are reading this article on. Pain is a natural course of life; sorrow comes; joy comes – each has its time. Would you give up just because sorrow is having its time?

My concern is that you don’t give up so soon; that you don’t drop your weapons in a haste to run away from pain. You have what it takes to have at least a fighting chance. You have what it takes to turn your pain to gain. I wish that you would believe this because I know it’s true. You don’t see it because you have dwelt so much on all that has gone wrong in your life. What about the good things that have happened to you?

Life! Life! Life! What is life? Really think about that for a while. What is life but a period of pains and gains; of downs and ups; of sorrow and joy? Each of these experience, it’s a king overwhelming in power but not of control – only you can give them control over you. You cannot change the nature of this game called life, but you can determine how you want to respond to the fouls you were penalized for and the goals you scored during the play.

Who ever told you life is smooth has lied to you. The geometry of life has more of curves than straights. When you woke up healthy this morning, somebody else arrived this day with a condition so sad it is even too painful to think about. Every day is a challenge; this is good for your mind and your body. A challenge, when faced with austerity and conquered, is like a new strand of a bird’s feather, it can only make you soar higher and last longer in the sky.

There are two ways to look at the sad things that happen to you. You can either see them as a bunch of bad fate that is packaged to make you fail or you can see them as a chain of experience designed to make you stronger. What will it be for you? Do you want these experiences to have both power and control over you? What makes you give up without a good fight? How do you want to live your life? What hope is there for you to let pain take charge of you?

Do you want to take control of how you respond to the sad part of life? I am sure you do. Try the exercises below

1.      Close the pathways of sadness in your life

What are those things or people that consistently make you sad? Pick up a pen and list them. List as much as you can. Thereafter, group them into those you can cut off and those you really can’t cut off.

Now for those you can cut off, take proactive steps to let them go no matter what it will cost you. Remember nothing is worth more than your happiness.

For those you can’t cut off, start finding a way to reduce your dependence on them.

If it is about the lack of money, find away to manage the little you have and to increase your income. You can take up a part-time job or go into a trade no matter how small. What skills or passion do you have that you can turn into a money maker?

If it is about friends, start working becoming on independent from them for anything. If you are lonely, make new acquaintances. Define your relationships with such people. Give them just a space in your life.

If it is about some mistakes in the past, start doing as much good as you can do. Help more people, visit orphanages, advise less experienced people, talk to God to forgive your past – talk to Him, he will answer. He is a merciful God.

2.      Leave your bed with as much energy as you can muster

Talk to God each morning. Thank Him genuinely for another new day. Tell Him what you want for the day. Say some wonderful things to yourself as yourself. Shout out the following after your prayers

i.                    I am happy. God! I am just so happy

ii.                  Wow! Today is going to be a great day!

iii.                I am wonderfully made! Oh my God! I am so beautiful, so confident, so successful!

iv.                I have so much love around me

v.                  Thank you Lord!

vi.                My God is right beside me!

3.      Determine to leave each person you see that day a happier and better person

Go out and smile so well to each person you meet. Let your love for people overwhelm you. Let love rule you. Become genuinely interested in people. Play with as much people as you can play with. Laugh as much as you can. Let your guard down. Give as much as you can to people in need.

Refuse to be defensive. When people hurt you, forgive them immediately and forget about the incidence. Blame it on their ignorance. Pity people who knowingly hurt you, they are only victims caught up in web of selfishness.

4.      Set out to achieve what you left undone.

You can increase your chances of happiness by simply doing something about that thing you have left undone for a while. Set up to achieve little things. It could be a call to someone that has offended you in the past. It could be fixing something in your room, relationship, car or studies. It could be any other task you bailed out on. Just do something to get a little forward!  

In all, happiness and sadness are states of the mind. Your mind is yours alone and you can decide what gets into it or to you. To round up this piece, let me lend an ancient but anonymous quote:

“I don’t give up when I am walking through the shadows, because light is somewhere around the corner”

May God engrave this message in your heart and may He also empower you to put to practice what it preaches.

To your success!

Larry

P.S

Here is a list of positive emotions – I will strongly advise that you let those occupy you as much as you can. I will also list the negative ones, I am sure you know what to do with them

POSITIVE EMOTIONS: Happiness, Love, Confidence, Gratitude, Positive Thoughts, Empathy, and Faith.

Negative emotions: Anger, Sadness, Hatred, Envy, Regrets, Greed, Doubt, and Fear.

The Winning Mindset for a Job Interview

Are you aware that you may have lost some job because of the mindset you met the interview panel with? Do you know that there is a winning mindset for responding to a job interview? What if I told you that by simply changing the way you think while responding to a job interview you can increase your chances of getting appointed amazingly? Just in case you are wondering about how possible this claims are, please read the following five (5) tips. The tips in this article have made it very difficult for me to lose a job interview.

Discard the “Job Seeker” Mindset

You need to move your thinking from that of “a job seeker” to “a service provider”. Next time you walk into an interview imagine that you are going to propose a service delivery. Do away with the beggar’s approach. Remember you are about to exchange your time, loyalty, and skills for the company’s money. Don’t seek for pity. Don’t beg for consideration. Don’t be so eager to please them; doing so will make you appear insecure and weak-willed. Tell the panel what you have in store for their organization. Let them know that you are offering a service-solution to them.

Be convinced of the value you are bringing in

Every company wants to employ people that will be assets. Make sure you understand what you are offering. You need to be convinced of how valuable your services are to them. Learn as much as you can about the position you are applying for and be ready to sell yourself for it.

Gain mastery of your communication

You goal here is to let your countenance reveal what you carry inside. If you do this right, all verbal and non-verbal communication that is beaming out of you will speak volume of your relevance to their organization. Avoid the temptation of talking in circles. You need to know what needs to be said; say it, and keep quiet! Never get hooked while talking. It is not about how much you have said but about how well your words have related to the gaps in their organization.

Pay some attention to the questions they didn’t ask

Answer the questions in the mind of the panellists. The mistake many people make is to research and focus on the questions they will be asked and on how best to answer. However, interviews are designed to harvest the content of your mind, character, and expertise. Some questions are not good enough to achieve those, so you need to know what they really want to hear and tell them exactly what they need to hear. Use every answer as an opportunity to tell them you know who they are looking for and that person is you.

Never, Never, Never lose your composure

It is an interview, not an interrogation! You are not a suspect. No matter how tricky a question seems, no matter how rude it was asked and no matter how scary the interviewer sounded, hold yourself together! Never let your voice quiver, your hands fidget, or your butt develop a mind of its own. Keep your face calm, your head up and your shoulder relaxed.

Go get that job!

THE MINDSET OF THE SELF-CONFIDENT (Part Two)

How to Build Self-Confidence

The first time I discussed this was in my 100 level in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike in Abia State – my Alma mater. I was delivering a talk to 400 level students when their lecturer silently sneaked into the lecture room and decided to listen. I didn’t know when he came in but I noticed the class was a little more distracted; and some students were looking at me and giggling. I spoke on for another 10 minutes and with each minute, my presentation became more intriguing and before long the room was silent. I had everyone listening and I didn’t mind the number of eyes staring up at me.

When I eventually finished with what I used to call “Turbo Talks” then, I told them that I am able to stand before them to teach about building self-confidence because I had a particular awareness which most people desire but don’t have, I knew it was right to share my knowledge and I earnestly wanted them to live above the limitations of their self-esteems. The ovation that I received was marvelous  but what got me feeling fulfilled was what the lecturer said when he met at the exit. He asked me to wait a while that he would like to add something to what I was saying. He told his students that he was told I was a 100 level student of the institution. He noted that he heard a little of what I was saying and wished his students could put them to practice. That he was yet to see any student with the kind of confidence I just displayed teaching people that were way beyond me even as a fresher.

Over the years, I have written and spoken about what I discussed with those 400 level students and almost always, I receive calls from participants sharing their testimony about a sudden surge in their confidence. So I can assure you that, if you have a low self-esteem but truly desire to be bolder or more confident, and you do what I will be asking you to do here, you will experience a change in the way you evaluate yourself. You will discover you could do most of what you were shy of doing.

Now you may wonder why you actually need to build on your confidence. The truth is: you can hardly reach your dream without self-confidence. Before you can embark on any great venture, you have to believe in that venture, in your ability to pull it through and in God’s ability to create the opportunity for you to excel in it. Recently, I helped 4 families secure grants of between 7 million and 10 million Naira from the Nigerian government. We worked on their business plans together. My secret was simple. I communicated the confidence my clients had in their proposed businesses and their ability to execute those businesses and viola! today they are millionaires. My friend Ronald Nzimora (Nigeria’s finest Information Marketer does the same thing). His sales letters always assure buyers that he is confident the content or product he is selling will make them a better person.

Similarly, if you have read the biography of any great person you will discover that success in life has strong ties with self-confidence, self-awareness or what many describe as one’s belief in themselves. This is why you should take this article seriously. This is why you need to invest your time practicing what I will be sharing with you here. Just so you are forewarned. People have a way of ignoring what they are being taught free of charge. You probably stumbled upon this article and I can understand if you try to ignore it. You won’t find its content with a price tag attached anywhere online, you are advised to take it as one of those free gifts that can change your life for good. I want to remind you that the most valuable things in life are free including the grace of God, happiness, companionship, air, and love, etc.

You can develop a very sound self-confidence by adopting some attitudes and behaviours; but you will have to be consistent in it until you can act them out unconsciously. I will list the tips here and continue with more details soon.

• The influence of being honest, truthful, fair and upholding justice
• The willingness to share what you have with whoever needs it
• The power of knowing what you want
• The power of recognizing what you are good at and developing the skills to excel in it
• The confession or affirmation of who you can be
• The ability to understand your field and the players in it
• The wisdom to value human relationship
• The tenacity to venture through the road less traveled even when it seems risky

Do you want to know what those tips have to do with making you more self-confident? Hang on. We shall continue this later, so you use your time to do what you came online to do. In the meantime, share your expectations and thoughts in the comment section and I will reach you once I publish the full content.

I toast to a better YOU!

THE MINDSET OF THE SELF-CONFIDENT (Part One)

Have you ever wondered why some people are confident and their confidence is contagious? The secret of the self-confident is in the content or makeup of his or her mind. The difference between a confident person and a timid person is the quality, firmness and clarity of their minds. A confident person has a victor’s mind set while a timid person has a victim’s mind set. Now the question is what is a victor’s mind set?

A victor’s mind set is a set of beliefs, awareness or knowledge that convinces the person that he or she has what it takes to influence, to take charge and to win. It is a special kind of viewpoint that makes it very difficult for you to perceive failure or intimidation. It is different from courage. Courage is the action you take with this mind set even when faced with an impossible, obscured or dreaded situation.

For the self-confident, there is hardly a dead end; dead-ends happen when people lose faith in their ability to move further. You are self-confident when you believe strongly that what you have inside of you is influential enough to push you through the way that the Almighty has made for you. Self-confident people act, and not react. They influence and not respond. The conviction that victory awaits them in the future makes their actions today so contagious that you keep wondering where they get their energy from!

Self-confident people are also people of strong faith or hope. They walk into a room knowing they will leave behind a positive impression, pick up challenges knowing they will handle them, go after the person of their dream knowing it will always end well, serve and pray to their God knowing they will get answers etc.

The truth is; it is the lack of self-confidence that makes it difficult for many people to receive answers from God. Faith has a strong bearing on self-confidence. If you are not confident about your position in the Kingdom, you will be ignorant of what your inheritance is exactly. So how can you ask and receive what you don’t know exists? How can you ask for what you don’t know you deserve? How can you believe you deserve anything when you don’t recognise your worth? How can you be self-confident, without recognizing your worth?

To your success!

How Tonto Dikeh Drunkenly Embarrassed Herself In London

Drinking is fun, getting high can also be fun but when a traditional African super celeb loses it on stage before a London audience because she is tipsy, it stops being fun. It becomes a question of home training and how important good composure and behavior is to the celeb.

When I saw Tonto Dikeh falling and ranting on stage under the influence, I wished I could just walk into my laptop screen like  "Ghost Dad" did when he tried to scare off his daughter's chaser through phone and give her a whopping in the a**. But two things were wrong with my wish. Firstly, I was no Ghost and secondly, I am not Tonto's dad. I was also unhappy about the guy who brought her on stage knowing fully well she was out of her mind. Yes someone will say, "could anybody have been able to stop her? She had to earn!" But come on, you could just give her some sleeping drugs so she can wake up after the show.

I mean anything would have been better than letting that stubborn girl ruin the image of Nigeria female celebs which the likes of Omo Sexy and Genny are working tirelessly to protect from caricature.

Come to think of it; what is it with Tonto Dikeh and weird news? That pair seem to be nondetachable.

Watch the video: Tonto Dikeh is high!

Timaya's "Ekeloma Demba" Set to Take Out Kukere, Azonto et al

Guys, i don't usually do entertainment on my blog but wow, Timaya's new video definitely has some potentials i find hard to ignore.

His latest singles (which is still in making) sure has the potentials to take over the wave in the club.
I predict that "Ekeloma Demba" videos will take over the wave for a very long time and possibly shut out Kukere and Azonto. Nice beating: kukerable and azontish...but with some grand flavour..

TARIBO WEST wonders why ..?

Taribo West, one of Super Eagles' finest defenders in history, who is now a devoted clergy, has been accused of cutting down his age by at least 12 years. It happened in 2002, when he joined a Serbian team (Partizan Belgrade) and claimed he was 28, when supposedly he was 40 years old as purported by the former President of Partizan, Zarko Zecevic in a Daily Mail report.

Mr West responding to the accusation that he had subtracted 12 years from his life while joining Partizan, denied not knowing what the President was saying, and wondered why the issue was raised 10 years later.

According, DailyPost Nigeria he complained

"I don't really know what they are talking about and that's why i don't really have anything much to say."

"But it is curious that they are raising such matter about 10 years after i left the place. Why was the matter not raised while i was there? Why talk about it long after i retired from the game?"

My own question is, the President mentioned West still performed better and as expected in his play; there was no mention of any quarrels or problems; then why this sudden revelation?

I can only suspect Taribo has stepped on some toes in his church

Am out!

How close can we get to the solution?

Recently i was wondering how much more is needed to be done to crack the development puzzle in Nigeria. Will it have to take another 50 yrs, 40, 30 or .... are we already in the magic decade when the world will start celebrating our country. India and China has already proved to the world that anything is possible with economic development. According to one article "To be precise, in 25 years from the current period it has been assumed that China will have a more superior economy as it already leads the total output in the world". Yet these were countries who, as at early last decade, was nothing to write home about economically. Today, however, virtually all the big boys are establishing their domineering presence in these countries.

Basically, Nigeria has all it takes to make a great leap towards economic greatness. It is the most populous black nation with about 150M people with different skills, talents, qualification and experience. The country boast of a 69% adult literacy rate, 87% male youth (15-24) literacy; 81% female youth(15-24) literacy rates (UNICEF). She also has large agriculturally fit land mass and enough energy resources to power up industrial activities. You may wonder what else is keeping us back.

I really do think we are not too far from the promise land. If only we can start taking leadership serious, the speed will be terrific. We need people who can help us efficiently manage the vast resources at our disposal as a country. Nigeria will be great and when this happens, the whole world will want to identify with us. This makes the struggle all the more interesting.

Nigeria can borrow a leaf from the Chinese and Indians. They built relevant socio-economic infrastructure and also encouraged research and development of cheap-yet-durable technologies. The result was spontaneous.

Revelation: Why Tuface and Annie Wedded in Dubai

The answer to the question "Why Did Tuface Wed in Dubai?" will probably end like "...what she wants".

Initially when I heard about Tuface's wedding in Dubai, I was crazy...I couldn't understand why. This is someone we all loved and wished the best for and yet he couldn't even let us have the chance of sharing a wonderful moment in his life with him. I thought how foolish it was to leave your country and go to tie the knot in a strange land where you have little or nothing to do there. 

Then it occurred to me that I could be wrong....I mean "what if his bride's parents lived their?" Yet it was hard to shrug off the idea, as the wedding was something far above Tuface. Tuface is a super star, and he is one because millions of people think he is cool! As a star, you stop belonging to yourself, you become a public property and so everything you want would be crosschecked by your fans (not fair though, but that is what you get for the paparazzi).

Later, Boko Haram crossed my mind. I immediately discarded it. Those guys don't bomb weddings or attack super stars and even Tu Baba knows that. They still have a large gang of politicians to deal with, a superstar would be a complete distraction.

I also thought it was just about the swag. Then I asked myself which swag? Dubai na glorified Alaba Market...love-net far from im description!  Also, Tuface doesn't strike me as the type that believe swag is about travelling abroad to host shows. He gets his real swag doing his thing here in Nigeria. 

Much later, when I logged into my facebook, I saw countless posts and updates, criticizing Tuface for what he did. Before, the wedding, people were very impressed that he had finally stopped acting like a boy. There were messages of happy married life for Tu Baba spread across the internet and everybody was looking forward to the day, it came as a shock to many when they discovered few days to the wedding that the ceremony was fixed in Dubai.

It was a shock to me too and I was heart broken. It felt like Tuface doesn't regard me one bit. It was painful because, he is my favourite musical artist. Don't think it was such a big deal o! I wasn't that beaten up, I just didn't see it coming and I couldn't understand why.

But days on, while I was reading through one of the updates criticizing him for what he did I suddenly realized that he might have done it just for his bride: maybe that was "what she want"(ed). As I thought more about it, I knew I was right. I came to love him more. I imagined what he risked to make sure he delivered the first marital wish of his bride. Tuface, is a confirm "Naija boy". He would never have given up acting like a naija boy, except it was really necessary.

That thought gave me peace on the issue.

Soyinka And Clark: Should let Achebe Rest in Peace

I received news of Chinua Achebe's passing away in Boston USA with a heavy heart. He was a great Nigerian. He was one among few who are inspirations to Nigerians and black people all over the world. His life was full of great accomplishments. 

One would expect every Nigerian would respect his memory and pray for his soul to rest in peace; but this has hardly been the case as some people are trying hard to play security politics with  his death. 

(Wondering: Why we too get intelligent people for this country sef?)

Please read what i saw on Wole Soyinka's and J.P Clarks' joint statements:

“These are forces that arrogantly pride themselves implacable and brutal enemies of what Chinua and his pen represented, not merely for the African continent, but for humanity."

“Indeed, we cannot help wondering if the recent insensate massacre of Chinua’s people in Kano, only a few days ago, hastened the fatal undermining of that resilient will that had sustained him so many years after his crippling accident.”

What is it with respected Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka? Did he have to play out his paranoia on something as sensitive as suggesting Chinua Achebe's death was facilitated by the bombings in Kano? Now he drags, J.P. Clark, one member of the "pioneer quartet of contemporary Nigerian literature" with him on this claim which even a child would know is too unnecessary to make. 

The past week was a little tense. There were rumours of reprisal killings in the southeast after the Kano bomb blasts. Statements like those could be taken entirely out of context and soon you will find people on the street maiming their nieghbours to revenge the death of a demigod.

As much as I understand how much Soyinka and Clark miss their colleague, I think their statements were misguided and quite unnecessary. 

Why it is Difficult for Peace to Reign in Nigeria

Nigerians have a couple of attitudinal issues that are making peaceful co-existence and unity very impossible. We can blame the government and every other institution for our woe but one thing is certain even when we have a perfect government without addressing these issues any hope of peace can as well be signed off as a daydream. Peace and development have eloped most Nigerian states because the government and the people lack political and social will to face issues squarely. There have been so many violent crises in Nigeria. Since the dawn of the fourth republic alone the country has suffered over 345 socio-political crises; the number is outrageous for ethno-religious crises...it’s something near uncountable. Painfully, no matter how bad these events turn out, little is done to prevent a reoccurrence and this is why we should discard all thoughts of peace in the nearest future. Until we brace up to factors and element that are robbing us of peace, we don’t deserve to live in peace.

The peace process in Nigeria can be described as political, inept, superficial and weak. This is better exposed in the lip-serving attitude the government and the people have towards peace. Almost every Nigerian will profess peace as the panacea to development and better life; and even yet, almost every leader will assure you that his leadership will give up its mandate for peace. There has been far more government programmes and policies on peace, than there has been to address corruption. Nigerians talk more of peace and unity than any other black nation but it’s all a façade. Yet we are not as peaceful or peace-loving as we claim. I have seen common people lose their patience with the slightest provocation – even if it was a rumour.

Firstly, we find it hard to tolerate one another...we disregard people’s beliefs easily and we don’t respect the ways of life of others. You see it playing out in how easily we make caricature of the culture and religion of others. We are good at calling people from other tribe disrespectful names and describing them with awkward phrases. For instance, the Ibos call Yorubas “Ofe Mmanu”, which means “soup full of oil”; the Hausa’s call the Ibos “Yammiri” coined from the Ibo phrase “N’yem imiri”, which means “Give me water – a phrase that originated during the civil wars when Ibos were believed to beg for water to survive”; and Hausa’s a known with different derogatory names including Aboki-slave boy, Malo-thoughtless, “Mmu Ewu-goat’s kids”. These names have become entrenched in our vocabulary, yet they are the most obvious signs that we don’t respect people from other ethnic or religious group. From the religious angle Muslims call Christians “arhner (not sure of the spelling) – one without faith” and the Christians call the Muslims many names that somehow relates to the phrase “one whose head is always on the ground”.

Another problem we have as a country is that we are too religious. Our search for God and a relationship with Him strives on fanaticism. We have not even made our way right with our creator, but we want to show others how to make their way right with their creator. Every issue relating to religion is taken completely out of context. We pretend so much to love God but we don’t even know him. How can one truly love someone they don’t know? How is it possible to say you love God who is far from your sight and grasp when you are irritated at the neighbour you see every day of your life? We read our scriptures alright, but we interpret the holy message in several unholy ways to suit our unholy and carnal desires, and aspirations. We claim to be the torchbearers but we live each day in darkness – with a heart full of hate, and a mind soaked in pretentious evil.

Also our politics is too dirty and too childish. Politics is designed to help players compete for the interest of the people they represent and not to promote the interest of the player exclusively. What we play as politics is deception – a type that is too strong that the players even deceive themselves. The game in Nigeria is so dirty and it is played with little or no dignity or regard for sportsmanship. Competing teams never mind staking the values they hold so high to score or even the scores. This is why it is very hard to differentiate a religious leader in Nigeria from a politician, and even more difficult to tell what our Holy Scriptures say from what the manifestoes of our political parties says.   

Nigerians are also a bunch of insecure groups of people. We are always looking over our shoulders. We are scared of what will happen if someone from the other side takes over power, or is placed above us. Even when they are below us we throw-up at the thought of a take-over. Yet this warped sense of comradeship or brotherhood is discarded as soon as everything falls into position. There are actually very few leaders who used their position of power to effect any meaningful change for the people they supposedly represented. When the chips are down, it becomes an issue of “just for my family and friends”. Even yet, we still clamour to have our person at the herm of affairs if not for anything, to tame our insecurity and endemic inferiority complex.

I will like to stop here for now...

ok...I don’t like being a problem rooster; it can be more fun providing solutions. I will just list what I think should be done to help Nigerians address attitudinal issues that are robbing us of the chance to live in peace

1. We need to start being Nigerians and not Ibos or Muslims. People should not be made to identify their place of origin when they seek jobs or pursue contracts. Also, the national ID card should only contain the Name, state of residence, and a unique social number. Every religious festival should become a serious public holiday and vernacular should be thoroughly discouraged in public places.

2. Let us dissociate every institution that is a twine of religion, culture and politics. Steps to take here is to amend the electoral act to give more power to votes coming from regions or areas of people from different religion, or tribe. Only political parties that don’t have religious or tribal undertone should be registered. Each party must prove its acceptance nationally before it is registered. Any party that is perceived to promote a religious or ethnic group should be abolished.

3. Christian students should be forced to take Islamic subjects like Islamic religious Studies and Arabic while in school and also Muslim students should do same. Inter-ethnic (and maybe religious) marriages should be encouraged – if possible people should be rewarded for such relationships. Laws need to be enacted against verbal insults or speeches against other religions and tribes. Any disrespect or abuse of religion and religious structures should be treated as a crime against the nation.

Now am truly done with the subject....

A Fool’s Solution to Boko Haram Crisis

I understand that this article is worthless – at best it will be taken as the topic reads. But who cares, after all – even if it was written by the biblical King Solomon, decision makers in Nigeria will ignored or pretend not to see it. Just as they’ve done with other foolish ideas that has been shared about curbing Boko Haram (BK) a menace, which is gradually turning Nigerians into a neck-high frustrated people.

For a fool, Nigeria can rid herself of Boko Haram by making and taking two major decisions. Before I discuss the foolish tips let us remind ourselves of why this whole mess started in the first place.

For starters...Boko Haram is not the child of Islamic radicalism as is purported in the conventional media...now, that is a dumb way to look at it – may be you can say that about Al-Qaeda, or the Taliban but definitely not BK. BK has come to stay because it is a dreaming child whose parents have disowned or refused to identify with it. When a stubborn child goes on rampage it is up to the parent to force it back in line. What happens when they are gone? It continuous on its rampage until the society catches up with it. Somebody started something without a backup plan and that same plan has backfired! It’s like we see in Hollywood, a creature is built to serve only to be hunted for so many unanticipated reasons. If the spiritual head of Muslims in Nigeria can dissociate himself with BK, how can you now say it is a Muslim-thing?

Rather, this bad child is the seed of every northern leader who had the opportunity to make things right but didn’t. I say this at the risk of sounding biased – I wish I am a northerner, I would still say so. But what else could I be? I was born in the north, I schooled in the north, and I still work in the north. All my friends and even my girl friend is a northerner! I have stuck with the north because something in me has refused to reject it as a home. When I’m across the Niger, the dry winds still whisper me home. Well back to my foolish point: the parents of Boko Haram are unrepresentative northern leadership. If those who represented the north did their assignments; the area would have been one of the most peaceful and fruitful places in Africa. Northerners are by nature very contented people, but contentment counts only when you have something at the least – if only they had something to be grateful for this country’s unity, a mafia like Boko Haram would at worst die in the thoughts of bad men. You can only use frustrated people to pull the stunts Bokoharamians are pulling.

The level of illiteracy in the north is scary. You can’t walk the full length of a street without meeting one or two persons who cannot read or write. The worst is that the desire for education is either not there or its relevance is not seen. When you hear people saying “western education is a sin” you wonder. The world today spins and strives on western education – I don’t beg to differ! When you want to kick against a kingdom or concept like the west, you don’t start in the north and you definitely don’t start at sunset! The west has through centuries of machining, wisdom, focus, and sacrifice made west of everything – the west is the standard. Nobody can help it – even the west itself cannot help it! Today we read that the English are torn against one of their creatures – Democracy. The essence of the English crown is questioned today by some republicans who think power should actually belong to the people – a concept of their own creation.

Back to the north. Boko Haram’s victim is not Nigerians or Christians; the victim here is a dream. You know like there is the American Dream? Yeah, the Nigerian Dream. For those of us who don’t know what the Nigerian Dream is let me help you: the Nigerian Dream is the desire (often uncontrollable) to belong...to be heard...to be feared or respected...to be seen to run things. Its sounds like every body’s dream right?  What Boko Haram is fighting for is to rob all Nigerians off the ability to dream like Nigerians! We didn’t realise how free we were until BK came in – actually BK has helped us remember how free we were. There were times when we didn’t have to walk on the street with our hairs standing on the back of our necks, our police officers didn’t have to dock at any leather bag thrown at them, we only had need for military (robbers) road blocks far outside town, and nobody had to ask you to keep your bags outside before being searched into your place of worship.

One of the reasons why Nigeria has not been able to curtail BK is because Nigerians have refused to see through the cloak of religion, sectarianism, ethnicity and tribalism. All our approaches to addressing the situation has been through a myopic perspective. It was easier to handle the Niger Delta militancy because there were no religious or sectarian undertones to the phenomena. When the government decided to get over with the mess, no foul was decried – though a Muslim was on power, he wasn’t seen to be dealing with the Christians! The worst way to reinforce a social vice is to root it on a strong social value – whether it’s a mere etiquette, or a doctrine. What we had succeeded in doing is to make Boko Haram seem like a religious issue when in fact it is a political issue.

Now let me share my two foolish ways out of the situation

First, the north needs to come out plain and with all its strength to tell Boko Haram that “we appreciate your concerns for our welfare but we don’t need you to be a watchdog”. Spiritual and political figure heads in the region needs to redefine their commitment to Nigeria and let enemies of this country understand their position. Then we can single out, BK as a true public enemy and work across religion, tribe and geopolitics to deal with the menace. One thing that motivates BK is that they still believe they are fighting a just course. I wonder what they will be fighting for when the north certifies that the north is ok with the laws governing them already.

Secondly and probably most importantly is for everybody to ignore Boko Haram, especially the media. We need to report their activities in such a way that they wouldn’t enjoy the glory. BK has gotten this strong because we pay too much attention to their mayhem. It’s time to ignore what they do. The press needs to make conscious effort in refusing to report their activities. Let us stop mentioning their names on our tabloids and dailies. Boko Haram actually feeds on our fears and the more dreaded we make them feel, the more violent they become. The point is to drive enough fear into Nigerians and our government that we are forced to concede to their demands (if they even have any). If we can stop all the banter on Boko Haram and focus on something else; they will soon realise that they are no longer an issue. They can only pass their threat across when they see we get the message – ignoring their activities is one way to show that we don't realise that they are passing any.

If you notice all the havoc they’ve done was to amplify their voice and remind people that it counts – same with many other terrorists groups. Boko Haram is northern Nigeria’s version of the coastal Italy’s Sicilian mafia. They are a taskforce and they want business in their region (perhaps the country) to be run in their favour. But they only exist because we recognise them.

Well we are done here...

Reprisal Attacks Against Boko Haram Bombing: A Bad Road

We take what we have for-granted...we Nigerians...we are in a position to become anything we want to be but we have millions of reasons why wouldn't dare...corruption had done all is toil, bad governance is heading a mob, gentlemen are walking the streets without a source of living, thousands are dying for poor health care...so many things are going wrong...all these are heartbreaking no doubt, but none will compare to the doom that awaits this country if we spark off a civil war...a country like Nigeria is not designed to survive from things like that...am not talking of the brafia-civil war kind...am talking of one that will divide us so badly no glue can make sense out of Nigeria...

People are shouting and calling for war, fight, for violence...try to visit war-town Syria, then Somalia,...if you cant, read about their experience...not even your religion is worth staking against peace...when thing go really gaga, you would wish for one more opportunity to walk the same street with that your supposed enemy...resist being pushed to take a life or strike a fellow...

Boko Haram has survived so far because we are yet to see it as a national enemy---we keep thinking we are our enemies.
But what they are doing today...is not new. They are Bombing churches today, not because they are Muslims but because they want Christians to think Muslims are responsible...the only hope here is to protect ourselves, our homes and places of worship...then to stick together in dealing with this mad people...not to raise arms against ourselves...

If Islam was the enemy, why would Boko Haram be the weapon...Are Muslims scared of attacking Christians directly? What's the worst...if they are ready for the result of Boko Haram's madness, why wont they be ready for the result of their own actions? I say this again, Islam is not the enemy...we had our rough times as followers of two different religions, but this Boko Haram is not one of them...at least so I think! Think twice before you use your device...you dont want to see blood dropping from your eyes!

Let us disappoint doom-sayers...let us continue to manage ourselves...it's ok that way...when its really time to defend yourself do so, but don't attack the innocent; if you cant take revenge on the person that has hurt you directly, live vengeance for God, if you believe in him. Only God is Omnipresence and omnipotent, he can deal with Boko Haram, stop trying to do God's work. if he needs your help, he will tell you...

Sovereign National Congress: The next buzz after subsidy?

Experts are beginning to debate on the necessity of a National Congress currently promoted by activists and union leaders all across the country. As I suspect, this might be the next big debate after fuel subsidy; it is therefore pertinent to table the issue and seek the opinion of all. The idea is for us to enlighten ourselves, so that we respond to it when it becomes the buzz with adequate information of what we are going into or frowning at.

A congress is called so that people of the same community, state or nation can air their views about an issue which they feel needs urgent attention but is not being addressed with the befitting attention by their leaders or institutions responsible for such. The dark cloud (for the government) around any call for a people’s congress is that it normally signifies a loss of confidence in the leaders or whoever is in charge of the system.
Just within 48hrs two youthful leaders of change in Nigeria have called for Sovereign National Congress. The first being Alh. Asari Dokubo and the second leader of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, Alh. Yerima Shettima. They both believe that it is the only way to avert the possible collusion the Nigerian train is headed for. But honest as their intentions are, it is easy to doubt if the government will perceive such gathering of people politically save especially after the recent single-minded protests that erupted around the country.

There are concerns in various quarters that opposing politicians, who didn’t pop champagne after the 2011 General Elections, are bent on pulling down the present administration. It is natural to avoid any call that might be perceived as a protest against recent day happening and the government even when such calls might have been sincere and timely.

The following questions arise thus:
1. Is a National (peoples) Congress timely?
2. Can anything positive be achieved through it?
3. How would the idea be sold to the government?
4. Where would it be held? Is over the internet an option?
5. Who would be responsible for its organisation?

AN APPEAL TO NIGERIANS

Friends, i have published the exact content of Rev. Kukah's carol night message for your perusal on something that might as well spell the difference between our living peacefully together as Nigerians and becoming a state turn apart by hatred and violence. irrespective of our religious inclinations.
The message is an eye-opener and i urge you to encourage others to read...


BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I  AM GOD
(Ps 46:10)
AN APPEAL TO NIGERIANS
by
Matthew Hassah KUKAH*


On the occasion of the Carol of Nine Lessons organized by NTA and Radio Nigeria on December 10th last year, I was invited to deliver the message. I chose to speak on the theme, Do Not Be Afraid as a means of encouraging our people against the backdrop of fear and frustration that was mounting at the time. Since then, it would seem that things have gotten progressively worse in our country. 

In the course of my reflections, I sought to encourage my fellow citizens not to be frightened by the events of the time. I insisted that despite these tragic and sad events and the situation of our country, we needed to conquer fear. I argued that the message of Christmas was a message about the good news of the birth of the Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, (God-with us) and the Saviour of the world. Against the backdrop of other developments in the country at that time, I concluded by calling on the federal government not to carry through its plans for the removal of fuel subsidy.

Since then, things have gradually snowballed well beyond what one had either feared or hoped. On Christmas day, a bomb exploded at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, in Niger State, killing over thirty people and wounding a significant number of other innocent citizens who had come to worship their God as the first part of their Christmas celebrations. Barely two days later, we heard of the tragic and mindless killings within a community in Ebonyi State in which over sixty people lost their lives with properties worth millions of naira destroyed and hundreds of families displaced. In the midst of all this, on New Year’s Day, the President announced the withdrawal of fuel subsidy and threw an already angry and frustrated nation into convulsion.

Right now, I feel that perhaps like the friends of Job (Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar), who came to visit their sick friend and found the burden beyond comprehension, we find ourselves in the same situation.  For, as we know, when they came and found Job in his condition, they spent seven days and seven nights, and uttered not a word (Job 2:13). Right now, no one can claim a full understanding of the state we are in. However, even if we cannot understand the issues of the moment, our faith compels us to understand that God’s hand is in all this. The challenge is for us to have the patience to let His will be done.
The tragedy in Madalla was seen as a direct attack on Christians. When Boko Haram claimed responsibility, this line of argument seemed persuasive to those who believed that these merchants of death could be linked to the religion of Islam. Happily, prominent Muslims rose in unison to condemn this evil act and denounced both the perpetrators and their acts as being un-Islamic. All of this should cause us to pause and ponder about the nature of the force of evil that is in our midst and to appreciate the fact that contrary to popular thinking, we are not faced with a crisis or conflict between Christians and Muslims. Rather, like the friends of Job, we need to humbly appreciate the limits of our human understanding. 
In the last few years, with the deepening crises in parts of Bauchi, Borno, Kaduna, and Plateau states, thanks to the international and national media, it has become fanciful to argue that we have crises between Christians and Muslims. Sadly, the kneejerk reaction of some very uninformed religious leaders has lent credence to this false belief. To complicate matters, some of these religious leaders have continued to rally their members to defend themselves in a religious war. This has fed the propaganda of the notorious Boko Haram and hides the fact that this evil has crossed religious barriers. Let us take a few examples which, though still under investigation across the country, should call for restraint on our part. 
Some time last year, a Christian woman went to her own parish Church in Bauchi and tried to set it ablaze.  Again, recently, a man alleged to be a Christian, dressed as a Muslim, went to burn down a Church in Bayelsa. In Plateau State, a man purported to be a Christian was arrested while trying to bomb a Church. Armed men gunned down a group of Christians meeting in a Church and now it turned out that those who have been arrested and are under interrogation are in fact not Muslims and that the story is more of an internal crisis. In Zamfara State, 19 Muslims were killed. After investigation it was discovered that those who killed them were not Christians. Other similar incidents have occurred across the country.  

Clearly, these are very troubled times for our country. But they are also very promising times. I say so because amidst this confusing debris of hate, anger and frustration, we have had some very interesting dimensions. Nigeria is changing because Nigerians are taking back their country from the grip of marauders. These stories, few as they may be, are the beginning of our song of freedom. Christians are now publicly crossing the artificial lines created by falsehood and bigotry.


Let us take a few examples of events in the last week alone: 
In Kano, amidst fears and threats of further attacks on Christians, a group of Muslims gathered round to protect Christians as they worshipped. In Minna and recently, in Lagos, the same thing repeated itself as Christians joined hands to protect Muslims as they prayed. In the last week,  Christians and Muslims together in solidarity are protesting against bad governance and corruption beyond the falsehood of religion. Once freed from the grip of these dark forces, religion will be able to play its role as a force for harmony, truth and the common good.
Clearly, drawing from our experiences as Christians, we must note that God has a message for us in all this. To elicit what I consider to be the message, I will make reference to three lessons and I know there are far more.
First, these times call for prayer. At the height of our confusion during the Abacha years, the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria composed two sets of prayers; one, Against Bribery and Corruption and second, for Nigeria in Distress.  Millions of Catholics have continued to recite these prayers and we must remain relentless in the belief that God hears our prayers and that God’s ways are not our ways. We know that our Muslim brethren and millions of other non-Christians feel the same and are also praying in a similar way for our country. 

Two, these times call for solidarity of all people of faith. We are a nation of very strong believers and despite what anyone else may say, millions of our Christians and Muslims do take their religion very seriously. However, you might ask, if that is true, why do we have so many killings in the name of God and of religion? My answer is that we have such killings because we live in an environment of a severely weak architecture of state which allows evil to triumph. It is this poverty that produces jealousy and hatred which leads to violence.
We live in a state of ineffective law enforcement and tragic social conditions. Corruption has destroyed the fabric of our society. Its corrosive effect can be seen in the ruination of our lives and the decay in our society. The inability of the state to punish criminals as criminals has created the illusion that there is a conflict between Christians and Muslims. In fact, it would seem that many elements today are going to great extremes to pitch Christians against Muslims, and vice versa, so that our attention is taken away from the true source of our woes: corruption. As Nigerians, Christians and Muslims, we must stand together to ensure that our resources are well utilized for the common good. This is why, despite the hardships we must endure as a result of the strike, the Fuel Subsidy debate must be seen as the real dividend of democracy.

Three, religious leaders across the faiths must indeed stand up together and face the challenge of the times by offering a leadership that focuses on our common humanity and common good rather than the  insignificant issues that divide us. We therefore condemn in very strong terms the tendency by some religious leaders to play politics with the issues of our collective survival. Rather than rallying our people, some of our religious leaders have resorted to divisive utterances, wild allegations and insinuations against fellow adherents of other religions.  In the last five or so days, text messages have been circulating across the country appealing to some of our worst demons. We are told that many senior clerics either believed or encouraged the circulation of these divisive and false text messages. We must condemn this for what it is; a grand design by enemies within our folds who are determined to destroy our country. Whatever they may call themselves, they are neither true Christians nor Muslims. 

For those Christians who have reacted in fear, they require conversion. If we wait for these evil men or women to decide when we shall stand for Christ, then we have surrendered our soul to the devil. If we fear to stand up for Christ now, let us remember that He has already said: Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will acknowledge before my father in Heaven, Whoever denies me before others, I will deny him before my father in Heaven(Mt 10: 32). Again, Jesus warns that rather than fear at times of uncertainty, adversity or upheavals, we should be confident. He said: When these things begin to take place, stand erect; hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand(Lk. 21: 28). Furthermore,  St Paul has assured us that; If we die with Him, we shall live with Him. If we endure with Him, we shall reign with him( 2 Tim 2: 11-12). Surely, those who are asking us to go under our beds, to flee in the face of persecution must be reading a different Bible. 
These are difficult times but they are also times of promise. Our country has turned its back on all forms of dictatorships. Our hands are on the plough and we are resolutely committed to democracy. Like a Catholic marriage, we may not be happy but we cannot contemplate a divorce. God does not make mistakes. 
Although the freedom and growth promised by democracy are not here yet, we must remind ourselves that a better tomorrow is possible, a more united and peaceful Nigeria is possible. The challenges of the last few days have shown the resilience of our people and their commitment to democracy and a better life. We believe this is possible. The government must strive to earn the trust of our people. All sides must take lessons from the demonstrations and resolve to build a better and stronger nation. Let us hold on to the words of the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI when he told the President, religious, traditional rulers and people of the Republic of Benin in the Presidential Palace on the 19th of November: Do not cut off your peoples from their future by mutilating their present....There are too many scandals and injustices, too much corruption and greed, too many errors and lies, too much violence. All peoples desire to understand the political and economic choices which are made in their name; they wish to participate in good governance. No economic regime is ideal and no economic choice is neutral. But these must always serve the common good. 

* Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese